This is one of the tragic lessons of Latin American history, where democracy has repeatedly bumped up against tight economic oligarchies that feel threatened by majority rule. Though reliable statistics on wealth equality aren't available, we do know that income inequality in the U.S. today far exceeds that in Europe, and it is getting into the Latin American range. Because wealth is generally more concentrated than income, we are clearly in the danger zone. Remarkably enough, the CIA has investigated the matter, and its website contains some sobering estimates. It reports that income is already more concentrated in the U.S. than in Venezuela, though we still have a way to go to reach the dizzying heights of Brazil and Chile. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ackerman-wealth-tax-20110920,0,200115.story?track=rss
It's ironic that you would point to latin america, a region plagued by the sort of populist demagoguery obama is addicted to.
I am surprised that by the above measure US is like Venezuela. I don't think that taxing the rich will narrow the gap.
what needs to be done is to stop the rich from lobbying politicians. Do you see how much money schumer gets from wall street. And the dems get from insurance And they all get from everywhere else. A system founded on markets can no longer allow its politicians to distort the market by campaign bribery. Congress is destroying our system. We need to change the tax system and we need to make the politicians the peoples crooks not the crooks owned by the highest bidders.
Wow, so you mean that the more the nation has imported latin americans, the more it has come to resemble a 3rd world latin american dump?! Wow!! Whod've thought!?
It's unsurprising that income inequality in the U.S. is approaching that in Latin America. After all, we are filling our country up with Latin Americans -- in order to keep wages low. The left sides with agribusiness, meat packers, landscaping firms, and construction firms in favoring this trend.